According to Wojnarowski, the Atlanta Hawks were hopeful to complete a sign-and-trade with any team interest in Smith but the Pistons' vast salary cap space allowed Smith to sign outright with the team. Smith, an unrestricted free agent, can't officially sign his deal with the Pistons until the NBA's moratorium is over on July 10.

Smith had been rumored to be a target of the Houston Rockets to complement prized free agent Dwight Howard. Smith and Howard were once teammates at the AAU level in their hometown of Atlanta.

Smith, 27, averaged 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season with the Hawks.